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  3. In spite of " endless talk of difference" , American society is an amazing machine for homogenizing people. There is " the democ

In spite of " endless talk of difference" , American society is an amazing machine for homogenizing people. There is " the democ

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问题     In spite of " endless talk of difference" , American society is an amazing machine for homogenizing people. There is " the democratizing uniformity of dress and discourse, and the casualness and absence of deference" characteristic of popular culture. People are absorbed into "a culture of consumption" launched by the 19th century department stores that offered "vast arrays of goods in an elegant atmosphere. Instead of intimate shops catering to a knowledgeable elite," these were stores "anyone could enter, regardless of class or background. This turned shopping into a public and democratic act. " The mass media, advertising and sports are other forces for homogenization.
    Immigrants are quickly fitting into this common culture, which may not be altogether elevating but is hardly poisonous. Writing for the National Immigration Forum, Gregory Rodriguez reports that today’s immigration is neither at unprecedented levels nor resistant to assimilation. In 1998 immigrants were 9. 8 percent of population; in 1900, 13. 6 percent . In the 10 years prior to 1990, 3. 1 immigrants arrived for every 1, 000 residents; in the 10 years prior to 1890, 9. 2 for every 1, 000. Now, consider three indices of assimilation — language, home ownership and intermarriage.
    The 1990 Census revealed that " a majority of immigrants from each of the fifteen most common countries of origin spoke English "well" or "very well" after ten years of residence. " The children of immigrants tend to be bilingual and proficient in English. " By the third generation, the original language is lost in the majority of immigrant families. " Hence the description of America as a "graveyard" for languages. By 1996 foreign-born immigrants who had arrived before 1970 had a homeownership rate of 75. 6 percent, higher than the 69. 8 percent rate among native-born Americans.
    Foreign-born Asians and Hispanics " have higher rates of intermarriage than do U. S born whites and blacks. " By the third generation, one third of Hispanic women are married to non-Hispanics, and 41 percent of Asian-American women are married to non-Asians.
    Rodriguez notes that children in remote villages around the world are fans of superstars like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Garth Brooks, yet " some Americans fear that immigrant living within the United States remain somehow immune to the nation’s assimilative power. "
    Are there divisive issues and pockets of seething anger in America? Indeed. It is big enough to have a bit of everything. But particularly when viewed against America’s turbulent past, today’s social induces hardly suggest a dark and deteriorating social environment.
According to the author, the department stores of the 19th century______.
选项 A、played a role in the spread of popular culture
B、became intimate shops for common consumers
C、satisfied the needs of a knowledgeable elite
D、owed its emergence to the culture of consumption
答案A
解析 细节题。该题目定位到第一段的这几句话：“launched by the 19th—centurydepartment stores that offered vast arrays of goods in an elegant atmosphere．Instead ofintimate shops catering to a knowledgeable elite．”these were stores“anyone could enter．regardless of class or background．This turned shopping into a public and democratic act．”大意是商店不再只是属于那些有见识的精英们了，而成为一种不管社会地位或背景的任何人都可以进入的地方。商店使购物成为一种公众民主的活动。由此可知商店在普及文化中扮演着重要的角色。此中的文化也可以具体到消费文化。A选项“商店在普及通俗文化中发挥着作用”是正确的。
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